Dr Isabel Murillo Cabeza has created an exciting and interactive version of Trivial Pursuit called Microbial Pursuit, to help our undergraduates learn. Isabel explains how it came about…
The inspiration for Microbial Pursuit came from playing games with my family. My daughter Hannah is very curious and she is always asking me about microbiology. Everything clicked together in my mind and I thought that a combination of a game and microbiology would have great potential as an interactive and pedagogical tool. I’m a Teaching Fellow in Microbiology in CMM and passionate about education and teaching. I spent time surfing for information about interactive board games, looking for design ideas and finally I put it together.
I have always had an interest in developing new teaching activities, in particular interactive sessions. I have been thinking about ways in which students can learn while playing and I developed this game as a pedagogical tool that allows the students to revise their units while playing. Games are extensively used during primary and secondary education as an important pedagogical vehicle but they are forgotten in higher education. Fortunately, the University of Bristol is very keen on the use of games to enhance the student learning experience. Last year, the Bristol Institute for learning and Teaching (BILT) organised a series of seminars on the importance of games in higher education and funded my proposal which has given me the opportunity to design and develop Microbial Pursuit.
How does it work?
Microbial Pursuit and it is an exciting and interactive game‑based activity, to be both made and played by students. It is a board game that facilitates and stimulates learning in the subject of Microbiology. The game resembles Trivial Pursuit in that the board is divided into coloured squares and some of the rules of Trivial Pursuit are used. The coloured squares on the board refer to six different topics according to the syllabus of the Microbiology unit.
The principle of the game is very easy, and it is played in two sessions. During the first session, each group of six students will make a number of questions and answers about one specific microbiology topic. During the second session, students will be distributed into different groups and play the game. Questions and answers are checked by academics before the game is played. Students can use class handouts, Blackboard material, eBiolabs and Google as a source of information.
Does it really work? Do students learn better playing your game?
Yes, it really does! It is a very engaging game as the students are not only players but also game makers. I have run three sessions with undergraduate students enrolled in a first year microbiology unit. The student feedback, both oral and written has been very positive and encouraging.
Playing Microbial Pursuit is also a social activity. Students not only play and learn but also meet and interact with other students which is particularly important during the first year at the university. I have been approached by some students who want to borrow the game to play with friends so they could revise for the final exams. This I take as a compliment! I love microbiology; I find it a fascinating scientific discipline and I want students to feel that excitement too.
Do you have any more plans for the game?
I am definitely going to use Microbial Pursuit again! I’ve already scheduled some sessions for next academic year. Two aspects I also wanted to target with my design are sustainability and versatility. With that in mind, I created blank cards fitted inside individual sleeves, in this way new students’ questions can be printed and inserted into the sleeve after removing the old ones.
The beauty of the game is that it can be applied to any discipline. The blank cards are very versatile, they can be used with any type of questions. I would be delighted if other schools would like to try it!
Dr Isabel Murillo Cabeza started working in the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM) in 2006. Her background is in molecular microbiology, which goes back to her PhD when she worked with the fungus Fusarium. Spanish, born in Barcelona, she later graduated with a degree in Biology from the University of Barcelona before undertaking her PhD in Spain. In 2001, she came to Bristol with a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship and fell in love with the charismatic and multicultural city of Bristol.